Female electrical connector assembly



March 1967 A. D. BEAUCHAINE 3,311,867

FEMALE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed July 25, L966 4 Sheets-Sheet l [22042273302 uizvaia, D. Beazwiaaizae,

uiiinflnqys March 28, 1967 Filed July 25, 1966 A. D. BEAUCHAINE FEMALE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY eats-Sheet 2 Iweni'oaw March 28, 1967 A. D. BEAUCHAINE FEMALE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY 4 Sheet 5 Filed J 25 1966 March 1967 A. D. BEAUCHAINE 3,31Lfii FEMALE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed July 25, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,311,867 FEMALE ELECTRHCAL CUNNECTQR ASSEMBLY Ali/ah D. Beauchaine, lLaireport, N.H., assignor to W. A.

Eeanchaine ons, linen, Lalreport, N.H., a corporation of New Hampshire Fiied July 25, 1966, Sex. No. 567,474 6 Claims. (Cl. 339-217) This is a continuation-impart of my co-pending application Ser. No. 308,437, filed Sept. 12, 1963, now Patent No. 3,271,728, issued Sept. 6, 1966.

This invention relates generally to electric connectors and more specifically to an improved female electrical connector assembly having a dielectric block housing of novel configuration and a specially designed female contact member adapted to be securely inserted and locked within the block housing.

This invention is an improvement over my previously designated co-pending application and concerns the same type of device therein described and illustrated.

One of the problems encountered in the use of electrical connectors of the type with which this invention is concerned is the breaking of the electrical connection which is brought about by accidental disengagement of the female contact member from the dielectric block housing. This unwanted occurrence is frequently caused either by a structural failure of portions of the block housing or by a stress-induced disassembly of the female contact member from the block housing mounting means. In particular, severe pulls exerted on the wire leads attached to the lower portions of the female contact members have been known to shear oh" the block housing cam members or to twist the female contact members into the housing recesses and out of the receptacle bottoms.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a female electrical connector assembly having a dielectric block housing which is constructed in an extremely rigid and unique manner so that the possibility of structural failure is eliminated under any conceivable circumstance of use.

It is another object of this invention to provide a female electrical connector assembly having a dielectric block housing in which means are provided to positively prevent accidental disassembly of the female contact member from the block housing once proper assembly has been completed regardless of subsequent stresses applied to any portion of the female contact member.

It is another object of this invention to provide a female electrical connector assembly which includes elements which can he simply and quickly assembled and which, once assembled, maintain their alignment over long periods of use.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from a study of the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of this invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the block housing of the female electrical connector of this invention showing two female contact members in assembly therein;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the block housing illustrated in FIG. 1 similarly showing two female contact members in assembly therein;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the female contact member prior to assembly in the block housing;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of the female contact member shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the female contact member shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a receptacle formed in a portion of the block housing;

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FIG. 7 is a view in section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6 showing the receptacle interior;

FIG, 8 is a view in section taken along line 88 of FIG. 6 showing another view of the receptacle interior with a portion of the female contact member and an insertion probe shown in dotted;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the receptacle interior prior to assembly therein of the female contact member;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the receptacle shown in FIG. 9 illustrating the female contact member in assembly;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a receptacle formed in a portion of the block housing;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the receptacle shown in FIG. 11 illustrating the female contact member in assemy;

FIG. 13 is a view in section taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12 showing the receptacle interior and particularly the flange, cam member and stop element; and

FIG. 14 is a view in section taken along line 1414 of FIG. 12 showing another view of the receptacle interior.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a dielectric block housing 16 made of phenolic, hard rubber or a similar non-conductive material. A multiplicity of open-ended receptacles 13 are formed through block housing 16 and are adapted for the purpose of supportably retaining female contact members therein (which will be subsequently described). It should be noted that the receptacles 18 are uniformly spaced apart and oriented to ensure proper electrical connection.

FIGS. 3-5 illustrate a female connector member 21) which is shaped and dimensioned to be securely assembled into a block housing receptacle 18. Female connector member 211 is made of electrically conductive material such as copper. The material should also be inherently resilient. Female contact member 20 is formed, as by stamping, from a single strip, so that two similar lower legs 22 diverge upwardly from a common bottom portion or bend 24. The lower legs 22 are first bent outwardly to form generally horizontal leg portions 26 and are then bent upwardly to form diverging upper leg portions 28.

At the upper ends of leg portions 28, return bends 36 are formed therein and downwardly converging spring arms 32 are positioned so as to approximately abut at their lower ends 34. This approximately abutting relationship permits a male contact prong to be inserted between resilient spring arms 32 and be retained therein in secure electrical connection.

Strengthening ribs 36 may be formed in lower legs 22 above apertures 38. The latter are provided therein for the purpose of receiving and anchoring wire leads (not shown). Diagonally opposed cut-outs 40 are formed in upper leg portions 28. These cut-outs 46 provide necessary clearance when the female contact member 21) is seated in block housing receptacle 18. The lateral edges 42 and 44 of the female contact member 20 are disposed solely in two planes except for cut-outs 40. The lateral edges can best be seen in FIG. 4.

Dielectric block housing 16 may have any number of receptacles 18 formed therethrough. The preferred embodiment shown in the drawings is constructed in a manner such that each receptacle 18 is rectangular in horizontal cross-section and is provided with opposed vertical end walls 46, 48 and side walls 51 52. A vertically extending recess 54 is formed in side wall 56 and a similar recess 56 is formed in side wall 52. Each recess is rectangular in horizontal cross-section and is smaller than the receptacle in which it resides. The

recesses are located in diagonally opposed corners of the receptacle and are flush with the end walls 46, 48. The recesses extend downwardly and are open at the bottom surface of the block housing 16.

Cam members 58, 60 are formed on side walls 50, 52 respectively. Cam member 58 is directly opposite recess 56 and cam member 60 is directly opposite recess 54-. Each cam member has an inclined camming surface 62, a horizontal bearing surface 64, and a rounded upstanding shoulder 66. The cam members are located in diagonal corners of receptacle 18 in a manner such that they are integral with both a side wall and the adjacent end wall. This mounting feature greatly strengthens the cam member and significantly reduces the possibility of its breaking off during use.

It will be seen from FIG. 8 that the female contact member 20 is assembled into the block housing receptacle 18 by initially being thrust upwardly into the open receptacle bottom so that upper leg portions 28 slidingly bear against receptacle end walls 46, 48. An assembly probe 68, shown in dotted, is inserted downwardly through the open upper end of receptacle 18 to spread spring arms 32 into a vertical orientation. As the female contact member is thrust upwardly without rotation, the lateral edges 42, 44 of return bends 30 bear against the inclined camming surfaces 62 of the cam members 58, 60. This dual camming action progressively forces each upper leg portion 28 and its contiguous spring arm 32 (which have been compressed by the assembly probe 68) into the facing recesses 54, 56.

The cammed female contact member 20 rides upwardly in recesses 54, 56 until return bends 30 clear the tops of cam shoulders 66. The inherent resilience of the female contact member then causes it to snap back to its original configuration with the upper portions of the contact member positioned over the cam members in seated relation. Thus, return bends 30 and cutouts 40 overly cam shoulders 66 and horizontal bearing surfaces 64, respectively. The assembly probe 68 can then be removed, permitting resilient spring arms 32 to resume their abutting orientation. In this configuration, the female contact member 20 cannot be pulled downwardly out of receptacle 18 because of the obstructing presence of the cam members and cannot be twisted back into the recesses because the lateral edges 42, 44 of upper leg portions 28 and uncompressed spring arms 32 bear against receptacle side walls 50, 52.

To provide a barrier against further upward movement of female contact member 20 out of receptacle 18, the receptacle end walls 46, 48 are constructed with integral lip-like flanges 70, 72, respectively, extending into the receptacle interior being spaced above cam members 58, 60. These flanges 70, 72 overly return bends 30 of the female contact member 20 when the contact member is in its seated position over cam members 58, 60. Thus, downward movement of the assembled contact member is prevented by the cam members and upward movement thereof is prevented by the flanges. Since the lateral biasing of the female contact member during assembly is produced entirely by the cam members, and since the female contact member is in no way rotated during upward insertion, standard automatic equipment can be utilized to insert all the female contact members simultaneously, if desired.

It will be understood that in operation the male contact prong (not shown) is inserted between the resilient spring arms 30 of the female contact member 20 wherein it is frictionally retained. The presence of the male contact prong causes the spring arms 30 to be compressed to a position approximately midway between that shown in FIG. 10 (uncompressed) and that shown in FIG. 8 (fully compressed by assembly probe). This creates a situation in which failure of the electrical connection could occur. Thus, in the event that pronounced lateral forces are applied to the male prong, it would be possible to fully compress first one side of the upper portion of the female contact member and then the other side, while at the same time applying a twisting and pulling force to the female contact member bottom portion 24 via the lead wire. The resultant force could, conceivably, cause the female contact member to become unseated from the cam members, to re-enter the recesses, and to be pulled downwardly out of the bottom of the receptacle.

To prevent this occurrence, a pair of stop elements 74, 76 have been provided within recesses 54, 56, respectively, as can best be seen in FIGS. 9, l3 and 14. The stop elements are formed integral with end walls 46, 48 and present a. stopping face 78 at the entrance to the recess in the same approximate plane as the side wall in which the recess is formed. The purpose of these stop elements is to prevent re-entry of the female contact member into the recesses once the contact member has been assembled into seated position over the cam members. This stopping function is effective regardless of how far the spring arms 30 are compressed by the male contact prong because the stopping faces 78 act against upper leg portions 28 (which always remain vertical and bear against the end walls) and not against spring arms 30.

The stop elements 74, 76 each have an inclined surface 80 and a vertical surface 82 designed to permit easy assembly of the female contact member 20 from the bottom of the receptacle 18. This is possible because the lateral edges 42, 44 of upper leg portions 28 and return bends 30 are initially cammed into the recesses below stopping face 78 after which the upper leg portions 28 ride upwardly within the recesses against inclined surfaces 80 and vertical surfaces 82. It is preferred that the width of stop element surfaces 80, 82 be the same as that of the recess in which the stop element is located so that each stop element is formed integral with not only the end wall, but also the adjacent recess wall. This greatly adds to the rigidity of the stop element mounting and significantly reduces the likelihood of the stop element breaking off in use.

It is of considerable significance that the block housing 16 as herein described and illustrated has a configuration such that it can be manufactured by use of a two part split mold. This is of great commercial importance.

It should also be noted that an alternative construction of the subject block housing could have but one cam, one recess and one stop element. Furthermore, the female contact member could alternatively be formed in various shapes other than as shown. These alternative constructions are mentioned to illustrate the many modifications and variations of the present invention which are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and arrangement of parts specifically described or illustrated, and that within the scope of the appended claims it may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described or illustrated.

I claim:

1. In an electrical connector, a female connector assembly comprising; a female contact member having a pair of upwardly diverging legs joined at the lower ends thereof and bent inwardly and downwardly at the upper ends thereof to form abutting spring arms; and a dielectric block housing having an open-ended receptacle formed therethrough adapted to accept and retainably mount said female contact member therein, said receptacle having vertical side and end walls and being substantially rectangular in horizontal cross-section, said receptacle having a pair of vertically extending recesses formed in said side walls adjacent diagonal corners of said receptacle, said recesses being smaller than said receptacle and extending beyond the periphery thereof when viewed in plan, said receptacle having a pair of cam members positioned on said side walls in facing relation to said recesses, said receptacle having a flange extending into said receptacle above said cam members, said receptacle having a pair of stop elements within said recesses, whereby bending the spring arms toward their respective legs permits the female contact member to be inserted upwardly without rotation into the receptacle, the arms and legs being initially cammed laterally by the cam members into the recesses and then recovering to their original configuration upon clearing the tops of the cam members, the female contact member being thereby retained against vertical disengagement from the receptacle by the cam members and the flange, the arms and legs being prevented from lateral re-entry into the recesses by the stop elements.

2. An electrical connector assembly as described in claim 1 wherein said pair of stop elements is positioned on said end walls within said recesses.

3. An electrical connector assembly as described in claim 2 wherein said stop elements are each formed with a stop surface disposed parallel to the opposed receptacle side wall and with an inclined surface angled upwardly from the end wall on which said stop element is positioned, said inclined surface thereby permitting upward travel of said female contact member within said recess during insertion thereof, while preventing lateral re-entry of said contact member into said recess after the completion of assembly thereof.

4. An electrical connector assembly as described in claim 3 wherein the lowermost portions of said stop elements are spaced a sufficient distance above the lowermost portions of said cam members whereby the arms and legs of the female contact member are laterally and progressively cammed into said recesses during upward insertion thereof before contact is made with said stop elements and whereby said arms and legs clear the stop surfaces of said stop elements and slidingly bear against the inclined surfaces thereof during continued upward insertion.

5. An electrical connector assembly as described in claim 3 wherein said stop surface of each said stop element is disposed parallel to the receptacle side wall in which the recess in which said stop element resides is formed.

6. An electrical connector assembly as described in claim 1 wherein each of said pair of cam members is formed integral with both the side wall on which it is positioned and the adjacent end wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,980,881 4/1961 McKee 339-217 X 3,047,831 7/1962 Majewski 339-217 X 3,271,728 9/1966 Beauchaine 339-2l7 EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner. PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Examiner. 

1. IN AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR, A FEMALE CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING; A FEMALE CONTACT MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF UPWARDLY DIVERGING LEGS JOINED AT THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF AND BENT INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY AT THE UPPER ENDS THEREOF TO FORM ABUTTING SPRING ARMS; AND A DIELECTRIC BLOCK HOUSING HAVING AN OPEN-ENDED RECEPTACLE FORMED THERETHROUGH ADAPTED TO ACCEPT AND RETAINABLY MOUNT SAID FEMALE CONTACT MEMBER THEREIN, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING VERTICAL SIDE AND END WALLS AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR IN HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTION, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING RECESSES FORMED IN SAID SIDE WALLS ADJACENT DIAGONAL CORNERS OF SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID RECESSES BEING SMALLER THAN SAID RECEPTACLE AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE PERIPHERY THEREOF WHEN VIEWED IN PLAN, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING A PAIR OF CAM MEMBERS POSITIONED ON SAID SIDE WALLS IN FACING RELATION TO SAID RECESSES, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING A FLANGE EXTENDING INTO SAID RECEPTACLE ABOVE SAID CAM MEMBERS, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING A PAIR OF STOP ELEMENTS WITHIN SAID RECESSES, WHEREBY BENDING THE SPRING ARMS TOWARD THEIR RESPECTIVE LEGS PERMITS THE FEMALE CONTACT MEMBER TO BE INSERTED UPWARDLY WITHOUT ROTATION INTO THE RECEPTACLE, THE ARMS AND LEGS BEING INITIALLY CAMMED LATERALLY BY THE CAM MEMBERS INTO THE RECESSES AND THEN RECOVERING TO THEIR ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION UPON CLEARING THE TOPS OF THE CAM MEMBERS, THE FEMALE CONTACT MEMBER BEING THEREBY RETAINED AGAINST VERTICAL DISENGAGEMENT FROM THE RECEPTACLE BY THE CAM MEMBERS AND THE FLANGE, THE ARMS AND LEGS BEING PREVENTED FROM LATERAL RE-ENTRY INTO THE RECESSES BY THE STOP ELEMENTS. 